National Safe Work Month looks to the future in Week 3

The week three theme of National Safe Work Month is ‘For the future: The long-term impact’ — encouraging workplaces to consider how work-related harm can affect workers over time by thinking beyond immediate incidents.

“The National Return to Work Strategy sets a vision to minimise the impact of work-related injury and illness and enable workers to achieve a timely, safe and durable return to work. When appropriate supports are in place, returning to good work can support recovery and improve health outcomes,” Safe Work Australia (SWA) said.

“This week’s activities encourage workplaces to consider realistic injury and illness scenarios and discuss how they would respond. These conversations can help identify strengths, gaps and opportunities to improve support systems before they are needed.”

Workplaces are being encouraged through the activity kit to address workers compensation stigma, which can discourage workers from reporting injuries, accessing support or participating in recovery processes. Creating a supportive workplace culture can help workers feel confident seeking assistance when they need it.

SWA said: “As part of our focus on the future, we’re also thinking about how changes in technology, society and climate are reshaping the way we work. These changes can introduce new hazards, create emerging risks or change how existing risks need to be managed.”

You can watch the Week 3 campaign video here, while to learn more about this year’s theme, click here.

Image credit: iStock.com/Jacob Wackerhausen. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.